Steam Deck OLED Announced

November 9, 2023

The Steam Deck OLED has been announced, it has a high dynamic range screen, a longer-lasting battery, faster downloads, and much more. It goes on sale November 16 at the starting price of $549.00, check out the Steam store for more info here.

Steam Deck Models

Steam Deck OLED Changes

Updated APU to 6 nm for better efficiency
Updated memory to 6400 MT/s, improving latency and power management
Increased thermal module thickness and performance

Increased active area to 7.4″ (from 7.0″)
Updated refresh rate to 90Hz (from 60Hz)
Updated peak brightness to 1000 nits
Updated touchscreen polling rate to 180Hz, improved latency and accuracy
Updated WiFi / Bluetooth module
Added support for WiFi 6E
Added support for Bluetooth 5.3, supporting newer codecs such as aptX HD and aptX low-latency
Added third antenna near the top of the device for better Bluetooth performance, including when docked
Added support for wake from Bluetooth controllers

Improved bass response for an overall flatter sound profile
Added support for using onboard microphone array simultaneously with the 3.5mm headphones connector

Adjusted analog stick top material and shape for increased grip and dust build-up resistance
Adjusted analog stick post material to improve interaction feel with front cover and reduce wear
Improved reliability of analog stick touch detection
Improved responsiveness and tactility of shoulder buttons switch mechanism
Adjusted D-pad snap ratio and diagonal interactions
Redesigned trackpad for improved fidelity and edge detection
Greatly improved trackpad haptics feel and precision

Improved battery capacity from 40Wh to 50Wh
Improved battery chemistry for faster charging, from 20% to 80% in as little as 45 minutes
Changed charging LED to WRGB
Added support for waking up from initial unboxing by long-pressing power button instead of requiring AC power
Adjusted power supply cable length from 1.5m to 2.5m
Added logo to power supply

Reduced total system weight to ~640g, or ~5% less than Steam Deck
Rear cover screws now thread into metal
Adjusted rear cover screw heads to Torx™, as well as other materials and geometry tweaks on the heads to reduce stripping risk
Lowered number of screw types throughout system
Reduced step count required for common repairs
Improved bumper switch mechanism drop reliability
Moved bumper switch to joystick board for easier repair
Improved display repair/replacement to not require taking rear cover off

Greatly improved memory power management firmware
Added preliminary support for open-source BIOS and EC firmware
Improved resume time by roughly 30%

There will also be a limited edition 1TB Steam Deck OLED model only available for people in the US and Canada.

Valve will continue to sell the old LCD models for 64GB and the 512GB model at a reduced price while supplies last. The 256GB LCD Model will be the only old model to stay on sale as an entry level Steam Deck.